


Lost

by prissygirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Complete, F/M, One Shot, Rumbelle - Freeform, Rumbelle Secret Santa 2014, Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 03:25:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2907560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/pseuds/prissygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A man and woman wake up in a new land. Though they don’t know where they are or even who they are, they feel an unmistakable pull towards each other that they can’t explain. (Season 4a AU)</p>
<p>Based on kacymyth’s prompt “She’s lost, happily ever after” for Rumbelle Secret Santa 2014. Beta’d by the lovely theplasticview / b does the write thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost

“I think we’ve been cursed.”

It was the first thing the woman had said to him in the last half hour. They had walked in silence for an hour or two, searching the hills for any sign of a town or other humans besides themselves.

He nodded thoughtfully. He didn’t really understand why, but for some reason her statement rang true to him. He wondered if he had ever been cursed before. It was an odd thought, but it had been a rather odd day.

It had only been that morning when he had opened his eyes to find himself in a meadow with the young woman who now walked at his side. Small yellow flowers blanketed the white grass beneath them, giving off a sweet smell that he couldn’t quite place. The sky was a blend of soft pinks and oranges that faded one into the other.

They had just lain there, blinking at each other for a few minutes. She was a tiny woman – tinier than him it seemed, as he noticed his size for the first time. Long locks of chestnut-colored hair that reached past her shoulders framed a pale and delicate face. Her eyes were a startling blue. When he looked into them, he saw a burning curiosity within.

She was examining him the same as he was her. He wondered what she saw when she looked at him. He felt fairly confident that it wasn’t much.

He cleared his throat nervously, unsure of what to say or do in this sort of situation. He didn’t often find himself in this sort of predicament. At least, he didn’t think he did.

In the end, it turned out that she was the braver of the two of them. She sat up and smiled hesitantly at him, pausing for only a moment before extending her hand.

“I’m – um, well I’m not quite sure who I am – but I’m pleased to make your acquaintance none the less.”

He eyed her suspiciously from where he lay. She seemed too happy, too kind to be genuine. It made him a bit distrustful. When he didn’t make a move to shake her outstretched hand, she frowned. Her bottom lip jutted out just the tiniest bit, making her look like a child who had been denied something sweet.  

He couldn’t help it. He chuckled. There was just something so pure and innocent in the way she pouted. Perhaps he had judged her too quickly.

“Are you laughing at me?” she asked, clearly offended by his manner. Her bright blue eyes searched his face closely.

He sat up, a small smile spreading across his face. “You’re rather adorable when you pout.” He waved his hand around, as he was trying to verbalize his thoughts. “I figure no one truly dangerous could look like that.”

She didn’t look as if she liked that comment very much, but she didn’t push the point.

“Do you know where we are?” she asked. “Or even who we are?”

He didn’t answer her question immediately. He found himself mesmerized for a moment by the way her teeth were worrying at her lower lip. Between her sparkling blue eyes and her beautiful brown curls, he was slowly coming to realize that his unfortunate circumstances were perhaps not as bleak as they could have been. He was fairly certain he had never looked upon such a beautiful woman before. It was a face a man wouldn’t soon forget.

Realizing she was waiting for a reply, he shrugged his shoulders. “I remember nothing,” he said. “Not your name. Not the name of this land.” He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Not even the name I was given at birth.”

A flock of green and white-striped birds drew the pair’s attention as they flew overhead, squawking a melodious, if slightly off-key song.

“I’m afraid we might be lost then,” she said softly.

He grimaced. “I’m afraid you might be right.”

____________________________________________________________________________

They decided to explore their surroundings to try and figure out exactly where they were. As they walked, the woman talked animatedly about the landscape around them, peppering him with questions that he obviously couldn’t answer.

“Do you think this is our homeland? Or is this a new land we’ve only just arrived in?” She turned to him anxiously. “Do you think we have friends or family who are worried about us? I would hate for them to worry.”

“You ask a lot of questions,” he grumbled.

“Well, I don’t know how else you’re supposed to make the acquaintance of someone you just woke up in a meadow with. It’s not like this happens to me every day.”

They exchanged a look. “At least, not that I know of,” she said. He smiled briefly at that, an expression which she returned. She kept her comments to a minimum after that and they fell into a comfortable silence as they took in the new world around them.

Their journey took them past countless trees and small lakes. They passed small-horned creatures that paid them no mind, looking up at them for a moment before continuing to graze on the strange pale grass that covered the area.

Nothing about this new land seemed familiar to him, though he knew that meant little since he couldn’t remember anything. The woman was a stranger, yet he felt himself quickly grow comfortable in her presence. From her body language, she seemed to feel the same way about him.

After thinking on their situation for a while, he decided to share the conclusion he had reached with her.

“You do realize that we most likely know each other,” he said.

It hadn’t been phrased as a question, but he was curious to see how she reacted.

She nodded, her curls falling about her face. He almost missed the beginning of her answer as he admired the pretty picture she made against the now slowly setting sun. She was so beautiful. As much as he tried, he just couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from her.

“It would make sense, considering we both woke up here with no memory of our past.” She gestured around them. “And there’s been no sign that anyone else lives around these parts.” She looked away a bit shyly. She spoke again after a moment, her voice soft and hesitant. He had to lean towards her to hear her.

“Also, I just have this sense about you. I think whatever caused me – caused us – to forget ourselves, means that we have a past that probably included each other. I find myself instinctively wanting to believe that I can trust you.”

He laughed humorously. “Never trust anyone, dearie.”

Her eyes snapped back to his. For a moment, he thought he saw some kind of awareness begin to show in her gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her in inquiry.

“Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s nothing.”

They continued to walk until their feet were tired. They stopped to refresh themselves at a small lake.

“We should find some kind of shelter for the night while there’s still some daylight left,” he said. “It’s too late to really search for food, but – ”

“Look!”

He turned towards her. She had wandered further down the lake’s bank and was kneeling near some berries growing near the water’s edge. Before he could raise a hand to stop her, she plucked several berries from the cluster and popped them in her mouth.

“It’s dewicshous!” she said, chewing happily.

He put his head in his palm. “We’re in a strange land without any memories and you decide to pop the first thing you see into your mouth?”

She swallowed and grinned up cheekily at him. “I haven’t died yet.”

“Yet,” he reminded her in a scolding tone. They had been together less than a day and he would be damned if she was going to up and die on him. He would just have to keep a closer eye on her – make sure she didn’t get herself into any more trouble.

He sighed, looking up to the sky. Only a thin sliver of the sun was visible over the horizon.

“As I was saying, we need to find shelter before it gets dark.” He turned back to her and frowned. Her cheeks were fat with the new berries she had greedily stuffed into her mouth and her lips were stained with their juices.

“Whant some?” She held the berries out to him.

He shook his head. “I think I’ll pass. Strangely, the one thing I can remember is that I’m on a diet.”

She snorted and mumbled something. He couldn’t quite hear it thanks to her full mouth of berries, but he figured it wasn’t complimentary.

There were no obvious forms of shelter nearby. They eventually found a small grove of trees that had grown closely together and provided a sort of makeshift roof.

He noticed that it had yet to grow any colder, even though the sun had almost completely set. If they were lucky, the warmer temperature would hold for the night. He gestured toward the ground underneath the trees. “Home sweet home.”

He said it sarcastically, but she just smiled at him warmly. “It’s kind of nice actually. Being a part of nature.” She lay down on the ground, shifting around to get comfortable. “The ground isn’t too uncomfortable.” She patted the spot next to her and looked at him expectantly.

He gulped. The space under the trees would allow him to lie more than an arm’s length away from her and still be covered by the branches’ protection. He had initially planned to use the full extent of the space it provided them.

He found his plan instantly dissolving as she patted the ground beside her once again. He lay down next to her, careful not to let any part of his body brush against hers. That plan too was ruined the moment he felt an arm curl around his waist, followed by her warm body as she snuggled up close to him.

“We’ll need to keep warm,” she said, sighing happily against him. He lay perfectly still, hardly daring to take a breath. It felt strange to him, having someone this close.

Yet, he found that it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He wouldn’t say he was happy about this new turn of events. But he couldn’t say the way she rubbed her cheek against his chest, nuzzling him as she began to drift off, was making him unhappy either.

Her reasoning was puzzling though. He briefly considered mentioning that it hadn’t grown any colder with the setting of the sun and that the wind’s warm summer breeze would keep them perfectly comfortable. Though he couldn’t for the life of him imagine why, he had the sneaking suspicion that those facts wouldn’t really matter to her. Her reasons would remain a mystery for the night though, as he heard her breathing slow and realized she had fallen asleep.

From the moment she had claimed him as her human pillow, he had intended to move away from her once she was asleep. Now that the moment had come though, he found himself reluctant to do so.

After all, he might wake her, he told himself. It had been a fairly exhausting day for them both. If she needed the physical reassurance he could provide, then the least he could do was provide a warm body for her to snuggle against. His reasoning seemed sound to him and he fell asleep, oblivious to the smile that slowly spread across his face.

Above their shelter of trees, the night sky was filled with countless stars that twinkled on above the pair as they slept peacefully through the night.

____________________________________________________________________________

They awoke the next morning, still nestled in each other’s arms.

“Good morning,” she said softly.

He gave her a small smile before pulling away reluctantly. He avoided her eyes during the rest of the morning, as they continued to walk the countryside. She talked on about her theories of where they could be and he nodded along for the most part, occasionally grunting or making a noise of agreement. He was too distracted by the memory of holding her the night before to contribute more than that.

The day passed pretty much the same as the day before. As night began to fall, they again searched for shelter, though they were unable to find much. They finally settled under a willow tree near one of the many small lakes that dotted this land.

“I just realized I haven’t been hungry at all today,” she said.

He nodded. He hadn’t been either now that he thought of it.

He watched her as she tried to comb out her hair with her fingers. He wondered if she would let him hold her again that night. They had both realized that shelter was less of a necessity with the comfortable temperatures and the lack of any animals that might prey upon them.

“We should really come up with names for ourselves,” she said suddenly.

“What?” he asked, her words startling him out of his thoughts. “Oh, I suppose so.”

“Is there a name you would like for yourself?” she asked. A look of distaste crossed her face. “Just don’t pick anything ugly. I’m the one who’s going to have to say it every day.”

His mouth quirked up in a self-deprecating smile. “I hardly think a beautiful name would be very fitting for me.”

She paused, letting her fingers drop from her hair, and turned her full attention to him. “Why would you say that? Do you think you’re a hideous man?”

He made a non-committal noise and shrugged.

She laughed and gave him a light shove. “Go look at your reflection in the lake, you silly man. I promise you won’t turn to stone from your own reflection.”

He glared at her, but stood up and walked over to the lake’s edge, leaning over the surface. An old man, with shoulder-length gray hair and a severe face stared back at him. He kicked a small stone from the shore and it splashed into the water, destroying the reflection for a moment. 

As he had suspected, he was hardly anything worth looking at. Certainly nothing worthy of the beautiful woman he found himself with.

She was clearly just being kind to him. He was fooling himself to think anything else would come of it.

He saw her reflection as she came up behind him. She stared at her own reflection closely. “Ah, so that’s how bad my hair looks right now.” She reached up to try and fix it.

He stilled her hand. “There’s nothing wrong with your hair,” he said. “You are a true beauty in every way.”

When she gave him a look that told him she didn’t believe him, he continued. “No, really,” he said. He put his hands up as if surrendering. “If you can’t believe a man you woke up in a field with, whose opinion can you trust?”

She looked at him for a moment before she burst out laughing. He smiled, her gentle presence already making him feel better.

“I suppose you do have a point.” Her smile suddenly turned wicked. He swallowed hard. It was the first time this particular look had appeared on her face and he found himself suddenly wishing the night wasn’t so warm.

“How about we name each other?” A mischievous gleam danced in her eyes.

He shook his head. “I don’t trust you,” he said, only half-joking.

She pouted, her lower lip jutting out just the tiniest bit. Only two days together and she had already realized that her puppy dog face worked on him. For some reason, he found that incredibly irresistible.

“Please?” she asked. “It’s not like you have a lot of other people to choose from.”

He looked away from her, pretending to study his reflection again. Though he may not have his memory, he had the feeling deep down that there was no one else he’d rather be stuck alone with. He caught a hint of a blush spreading across his reflection’s face.

“Sure,” he said quickly. “Whatever you like.” Maybe if she was busy thinking, she wouldn’t notice as he slowly embarrassed himself to death in front of her.

“Well, if you insist that I’m a Beauty, then you should get a similar sort of name.” She walked around him, hand held at her chin, as if he was a prize bull she was inspecting. “Handsome, perhaps? Mr. Mysterious?” she asked.

He snorted. “Hardly.” He smirked as a thought occurred to him. “How about Grumpy?”

She laughed. “That’s hardly becoming.”

“Exactly my point.” He pointed with a hand towards his reflection. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with a beast, dearie.”

She gave him an odd look, as if noticing something for the first time. Her voice went soft and her next words came out slowly, as she tasted them for the first time. “Beauty and the Beast.” She glanced up at him and for a moment, the light from the other day shone in her eyes. But a moment later, it was gone and she shrugged, giving him an amused smile. “Well, that’s just ridiculous.” She walked over to stand next to him beside the water again, glancing at her reflection once more. “Neither of those describes us anyway.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he said.

She smiled back at him. “Neither do you.”

They looked at each other for a while before silently turning back to the tree together. He slowed down as they got closer and watched her sit down. He paused, wondering if maybe he should lay a bit further away and give her some privacy. He would wait for her to indicate what the sleeping arrangement would be. He knew it was foolish to hope. He knew he was an old, ugly man with foolish dreams. He knew she wouldn’t –

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked, motioning for him to join her under the tree.

He let go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Yes.”

The next night, he didn’t pause when they found a place to sleep. He lay down and opened his arms to her, holding her close as she snuggled into him. It took several more nights before he worked up the courage to kiss her goodnight. Even then, she had needed to encourage him along. A soft kiss on his cheek and her half-closed eyelids had been obvious enough for even him to pick up on. She had been content with soft, chaste kisses for a time. But finally, she had taken matters into her own hands.

He had been commenting on a particularly bright constellation of stars when she crawled on top of him and brought his stargazing to a dead stop. Her kisses were insistent, bolder than those they had exchanged before. Her tongue sought entrance to his mouth and he opened gladly. As much as he desired her, he didn’t want to pressure her into anything.

“Are you sure?” he asked between kisses.

The only response he got was a quick bite on his lip. He hadn’t asked any other questions after that.

So each night they lay curled up together and each day they took their time strolling wherever their fancy, or more often her curiosity, took them. They wandered through meadows and fields, forests and hills. They drank from the lakes and streams, splashing in them when they chose. Occasionally they would come across wild animals, but none ever seemed remotely interested in the strange little man and woman.

Apart from the animals, they seemed to be utterly alone in their little world. As time went on, the days and nights just seemed to drift by. They found themselves not really caring that they had lost count. Even the fact that they rarely needed to eat began to bother them less and less until they forgot that it had ever been a worry at all.

And each night as they lay down to sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms, they would gaze up at the moonless sky above them, admiring the dark indigo with its brilliant points of light. Thousands of stars hung in the sky, each pulsing with energy of its own. There were even several clusters of stars that gave off a strange, brilliant light which they decided looked almost magenta in color.

After a time, they decided that they were very likely the last two people in the entire world. He had looked at her solemnly after that and asked if she had any regrets.

He asked if she didn’t wish he was a younger man, a handsomer man, a better man.

She laughed and kissed him, telling him that the next time he said anything so stupid, she’d toss him in a lake headfirst.

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” she told him.

“And where’s that?”

“Lost,” she said. “Happily ever after.”

____________________________________________________________________________

**2 Weeks Earlier**

The sky above Storybrooke had taken on a sinister light and a ferocious wind whipped through the town, sending leaves and small bits of debris sailing through the air. A storm – the likes of which Storybrooke had never seen before – was brewing.

Rumpelstiltskin stood in the middle of Main Street. It had taken him weeks to do it, but he had finally unlocked the power of the Sorcerer’s Hat, cleaving himself once and for all from his cursed dagger.

He watched as his name dissolved from the dagger’s blade. He felt his power flow freely through him, stronger than ever before.

With a laugh, he let the dagger fall to the ground. He was free.

There wasn’t a being in Storybrooke who could equal him in magical strength now. He was free to do whatever he wanted, without the threat of the dagger hanging over him. With Belle at his side, he would escape this hell that had cost him everything – his son, his freedom, his sanity. He and Belle would be able to go somewhere new where they could start over.

Of course, the heroes would attempt to stop him. He had done too much to get to this point – he had hurt too many people for them to turn a blind eye.

As if on cue, he saw Regina and the Charmings race up the street towards him, pausing a block away. Their eyes took in the storm growing above him. He could tell they were afraid, but he also knew they wouldn’t back down without a fight.

 But they were too late. He knew nothing could stop him now.

“Rumple?”

He turned towards the voice. Belle was walking towards him from the library. He thought she had been babysitting Neal today. He hadn’t wanted her to see this.

He saw her glance at the hat in his hand, the bright and awesome power swirling within it.

She looked terrified. His heart clenched tightly in his chest.

“Rumple, what is this? What are you doing?”

“Belle.” He struggled for the right words, his voice cracking as he spoke. “I need to do this. I can’t be anyone’s pawn ever again.” His eyes pleaded with her to understand. “The dagger already cost me Bae. I can’t let it take away anything else.”

 “What about them?” She pointed to the group who stood several yards away, watching their exchange.

“I’m too close to getting everything I ever wanted – everything we ever wanted. I won’t let them stop me.”

Belle nodded. “I believe you.” She stepped towards him cautiously. He could tell she was trying to be brave. He loved her even more for it.

They both turned when they heard someone shout. It was Emma.

“Belle, get away from him! He’s lost his mind. You’re not safe.”

“I don’t really have a choice.” Belle looked at Charming, Snow, Regina, and Emma in turn, willing them to understand. “He’s my true love. I can’t live without him.” She slowly turned away from them. “I’m sorry.”

Rumple grabbed hold of Belle’s nearest hand with his free one and raised it to his lips, giving it a chaste kiss. Belle looked up into Rumple’s eyes. “Things will be different after this,” he said. “I promise.”

She nodded. “I know.” She lifted her hand from his and reached up to caress his cheek. He leaned into her caress, closing his eyes.

“You always helped me to be brave, Rumple.”

He knew then that it was over. He just couldn’t find it in himself to stop her.

The others watched, in what felt like slow motion, as Belle grabbed the hat from Rumpelstiltskin’s now limp grip and pulled it over his head.

There was a flash of light and then stillness. The sky returned to its regular Maine grayness. The wind died and it felt as if the whole town had finally let out the collective breath they had been holding.

Belle stood in the middle of the street, clutching the hat. She looked so small and fragile, despite having just defeated Storybrooke’s most powerful sorcerer.

Emma started to approach her, but paused when she heard Belle speak.

“I wasn’t lying,” Belle said.

The others looked at each other in confusion. Belle looked up at Emma and the savior saw a strange look in Belle’s eyes, one she couldn’t quite place.

“Everything I said was the truth.” She looked at them all, smiling sadly. “I am sorry.” She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. “And I can’t live without him.”

Before Emma could stop her, Belle had raised the hat to her own head.

Silence followed as the hat floated down to the ground a moment later. Belle was gone.

____________________________________________________________________________

Later that day, they all stood in Regina’s vault. With the combination of Emma and Regina’s magic and a few items from Gold’s shop, they managed to seal the hat into its box with a seal that they hoped would prove unbreakable to even the most zealous of villains.

“No one’s going to be able to get into that,” Regina said confidently.

“Or out,” Emma said.

They hadn’t even tried to destroy it. For all they knew, it was too powerful. With all the power inside, it could very likely destroy everything within Storybooke.

Or even the universe, for that matter.

But they all knew the real reason they couldn’t bring themselves to find out.

“Do you think they’re together?” Henry asked. He sniffed and wiped his cheek on his sleeve, trying to hide his tear-streaked face.

Emma put her arm around him and pulled him close. “I hope so, kid.”

Their work complete, they turned to leave the crypt. Night had fallen while they worked.

Emma was the last one to leave the crypt. As she was about to walk through the door, she stopped. She cocked her head and listened. She could have sworn she heard laughter a moment before. Shaking her head at herself, she joined her family and they walked off together into the night.

 


End file.
